Turkey reinforces border as anti-migrant sentiments rise following mass exodus from Afghan

Sunni fundamentalist group Taliban captured Afghanistan on Sunday, ending weeks of blitz. The resumption of ultra-austere rule triggered panic and chaos amongst the residents many of whom chose life-threatening ways to escape. While hundreds of thousands of people flocked to Kabul’s Hamid Karzai International Airport with hopes to board repatriating flights to the west, others chose less risky but more tenacious path-crossing land borders. As the Taliban increased its presence, hundreds of people began their westward journey, cross Iran to reach Turkey.

“We came out of necessity. The Taliban have attacked our country and now they control it, we hope that the Turkish government (accept us),” one of them, Feroz Seddiqi, told the AP. He explained that they had scaled a mountain to reach Turkey, enduring thirst and hunger.

Istanbul's migration authority, on Wednesday, announced that over 37,000 foreigners were deported from Turkey since the beginning of the year. Out of the aforementioned, more than 12,000 were Afghan natives who had been living in the central Asian state. Pertaining to the refugee influx, the Erdogan administration has begun the construction of a modular concrete wall which is expected to cover a 64 km land stretch by the end of 2021.

Journey to Istanbul

Anybody who wants to enter Turkey from Afghanistan must complete the perilous job of walking hundreds of miles, often with limited food and water. In the way, the refugees are asked to give $600-4000 to smugglers, who are tasked with providing proper transportation in the country.  Once inside the Mediterranean state, these internally displaced people face the biggest challenge- finding a means to livelihood.

According to the UN, Turkey currently hosts over four million refugees, approximately 3.7 million of them are Syrian, but Afghans are the second-largest group. Meanwhile, the exodus has triggered anti-migrant sentiments amongst the Turkish you who now feat the loss of opportunities to Afghans.

Reasons behind anti-migrant stance

Turkey has been battered with a severe economic and political crisis for the past few years. The crisis, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, has also led to small businesses being shut down and employment rising to a never-seen-before level. Now, with the influx of Afghans, there has been a fear of Turkish youth being denied the much-vaunted opportunities on their own land.

All Images: AP